


The Fall of Santa Sarita

by HIMluv



Series: Santa Sarita: Patron Saint of a Third Rate Smuggler [1]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Commitment, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff and Smut, Relationship(s), Secrets, Self-Doubt, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-04-29
Packaged: 2018-10-23 08:11:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10715580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HIMluv/pseuds/HIMluv
Summary: Reyes didn't want to leave Meridian, but Sara insisted he get back to his life instead of sitting around watching her heal. Six weeks later the Ryder twins are finally cleared for duty, and Reyes can't wait to see her again. So when she asks to meet on the Nexus, he doesn't hesitate to leave Kadara.... She didn't mention that she was bringing Scott along until Reyes was already en route.A story that explores their relationship post-game, and sets the stage for further installments as they learn how to be together in a galaxy that is constantly trying to pull them apart.





	1. The Vortex

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter is now available in audio! Fine it here!

Reyes Vidal was a man of control. Climbing the ranks of Kadara’s underbelly took dedicated planning and strategy. Building the Collective and the persona of the Charlatan had been months of painstaking effort. But no matter how hard he tried, the Pathfinder had stormed into Kadara Port and very nearly made a mess of all his plans. Luckily, he’d been able to minimize the damage.

  
She’d only made a mess of him.

  
Why else would he find himself here, pacing the Nexus Docking Bay, waiting for the Tempest to land? He took a deep breath and caught himself before he ran an anxious hand through his carefully styled hair. He never should have left Meridian. At least there he could keep an eye on her, see her whenever he pleased. These weeks apart had been torturous, and just thinking of her now, walking toward him all smiles and warmth, did strange things to Reyes’s pulse.

  
Shaking his head he continued his pacing. He was on his third loop of the commons when he heard the distinct sound of the Tempest’s thrusters as it prepared for touchdown at the designated landing zone. The wait was over, and God, did he hate waiting. He spun on his heel and marched toward the bar. She’d ask to meet him at the Vortex, and when he’d read the email he’d thanked the stars for this woman. There was nowhere else on the station he’d rather have this meeting than its closest approximation to Tartarus. Sure, it smelled a lot nicer, and your chances of witnessing a stabbing were greatly diminished, but it was dark and the music was loud enough that he could hear the bass through two doors.

  
As the final door hissed open Reyes scanned the room. It was late afternoon on the station, so the bar had room to breathe. The Asari behind the bar nodded to him as he passed. He did a quick sweep of his mental databases, but he didn’t know her. Just doing her job, then. Out of habit he winked at her, but moved on before she could read anything into it. He settled on a shrouded corner booth and sat facing the door.

  
The Asari sauntered over, a smirk on her lips as she took his order. She said something, and she probably thought it was incredibly clever, but Reyes was too distracted to know what it was. He thanked her for taking his order, and the dismissal in his voice was obvious. When she returned with his whiskey she was all business, and she left without any attempt to reignite his interest. He sipped his whiskey carefully; as far as he was concerned, this was business. And then he was waiting again. He fought the urge to fidget, but suddenly the collar on his shirt felt way too tight. By now the Tempest would be docked, and Ryder would be on her way, probably half sprinting to see him. That image brought a smile to his lips, but it faded as he remembered this wasn’t just a personal reunion.  
This was ‘important’.

  
Typically, Reyes would linger unseen until he was fashionably late, but she’d made him promise to be on time. And he kept his promises to her. So he sat, sipping his whiskey, and waited. Decidedly _not_ fidgeting.

  
The Asari had just swept up his empty glass with a promise of a refill when the door opened on the other side of the bar.  
She stepped through the threshold and stood on tiptoe to scan the room. He smiled then, but did nothing to catch her attention. It wasn’t often that she stood still long enough for him to enjoy the view.

  
Sara Ryder, the human Pathfinder, was physically deceptive. Her sandy brown hair was cut in a long bob with a side part, the shorter side eternally tucked behind one ear. It revealed a purple semi-circle tattoo that radiated out from her ear onto her cheek. And though he knew from experience that she was strong, and a damn good shot, she looked tiny standing there without her armor. Delicate even. He chuckled at the thought of her reaction to being called delicate, and that was when she spotted him. She rolled her blue-green eyes, but smiled, and then turned to her companion. Any warmth Reyes felt at the sight of Sara drained away as the man behind her stepped into view.

  
He’d seen Scott before, of course, at Meridian. But the man had been in bad shape and Sara refused to count that as having ‘met’ her brother. The male Ryder twin towered behind his sister, an easy thing to do. He was handsome, with brown stubble and those same blue eyes, but he took after Alec much more than Sara did. He looked around the room, following his twin’s gesture until he found Reyes’s table. The younger twin, by two whole minutes Sara had informed him with pride, did his best not to grimace, but Reyes could tell the man was less than enthusiastic about meeting his sister’s boyfriend. At least they had that in common.

  
As the twins approached the table he stood to greet them.  
  
“Reyes.” Sara smiled, her voice all warmth and pleasure. “You look like you’re waiting for someone.”  
  
He returned the smile. “Always for you, Princes-Sara,” he greeted, his voice strained as he tripped over the pet name.  
  
Her smile brightened at his obvious discomfort, but she took pity on him and didn’t draw attention to his slip up. “Reyes,” she said, moving to stand beside him. “This is my brother, Scott.”  
  
With her arm around his waist he found the courage to reach a hand out to Scott. The man’s grip was firm, but far from menacing, and Reyes allowed himself to relax just a fraction.  
  
“Please, sit.” He gestured for Sara to move onto the booth before him, that way she’d be in the center of the curved booth. Between him and her brother. She smiled at him knowingly, but slid onto the booth without a word. Curse that woman; she had him pegged already.  
  
Reyes moved to sit next to her, horribly aware of the distance between them. Typically they’d sit close enough for their thighs to touch. Well, typically, they didn’t spend much time in public; there was so much more fun to be had in private. But right now, under Scott’s heavy gaze, Reyes kept a solid six inches between them. From the corner of his eye he watched her smile grow. He took a deep, steadying breath and gave his attention to the man seated across from him.

  
Curse them both, Reyes thought. Scott was smiling too. The resemblance to his twin was suddenly apparent. Their mouths were exactly the same as they curved upward, and they shared the mischievous glint in their blue eyes. Thankfully the Asari arrived to take their orders and the twins’ attentions were diverted. At least for the moment. And then he looked up into Scott’s blue eyes, so much cooler than his sister’s.  
  
“So,” he started. “Reyes.” Scott leaned back, spreading his arms across the back of the booth. “My sister refuses to tell me what you do for a living.”  
  
Reyes choked on his whiskey.  
  
“That bad, huh?” Scott said with a wince, and Sara laughed.  
  
Once he recovered he looked to the Pathfinder questioningly. They’d agreed there would be no more secrets between them, but did that need to extend to her brother? Her twin. Her last family member. But, she only shrugged, as if to suggest it was up to him what he told Scott.  
  
He took another sip of his drink. “I’ve done many things. I was a shuttle pilot when I got out of cryo, but when an opportunity presented itself, I left the Nexus.”  
  
“Sara says you’re based out of Kadara.” The accusation was plain, and Sara rolled her eyes.  
  
“I didn’t participate in the mutiny,” he assured her brother. “I just… traveled in its wake.”  
  
“And now?” Scott leaned forward to take his drink from the server, and he passed a bright pink concoction to his sister.  
  
Reyes waited for the server to leave, and let the twins have a first sip of their beverages. “Now I provide many things to many people.” He grinned, turning on the charm. “For a price.”  
  
Scott sighed and looked at his twin as if she were hopeless. “You always had terrible taste in men,” he said, but there was no venom in it.  
  
“The worst,” Reyes and Sara agreed. He grinned at her from over his whiskey and she winked at him. And while that got a chuckle from him, it brought an unpleasant look to Scott’s face.  
  
“Oh, gross,” he said. “That’s it. I draw the line at winking.” He made to get up from the booth, but Sara pulled him back by the hood of his Initiative sweater. Laughter filled the booth and Reyes relaxed back into his seat. Sara leaned into his side and he let his arm drape over her shoulder. This wasn’t so bad, he thought. He could do this. Family stuff.  
  
“So,” Scott said once the laughter finally died down. “Have any family?”  
  
Sara looked to Reyes with one delicate eyebrow raised. Sometimes he forgot that there was still so much she didn’t know about him. So much he still couldn’t bring himself to talk about.  
  
“Not in Andromeda,” he admitted, pulling his arm from her shoulder to focus on the table.  
  
“But, back home?” Scott ventured.  
  
Reyes smiled at the table, but there was no warmth in it. He glanced at Sara and let just a touch of his sadness into his eyes. “Well, not anymore, right?”  
  
Scott cleared his throat and looked to his sister for guidance. Reyes didn’t miss the subtle shake of her head as she gave him permission to move on to the next subject. He smirked into his whiskey glass. It was just like his Princesa to enlist the help of her brother in order to learn more about him. When her only response to his glance was a single apologetic shrug, as if to say, ‘can’t blame a girl for trying’ Reyes decided it was his turn.  
  
“Scott,” he drawled, returning to a more relaxed position, draping his arm back around her. A wicked grin claimed his lips. “Tell me about Sarita.” He wagged his eyebrows at her, knowing she hated the pet name. He was rewarded with her blush. “The more embarrassing, the better.”  
  
Scott laughed, full and throaty. “Well, when we were sixteen she snuck out-”  
  
“Scott.” Sara’s voice cut across the table, the full authority of the Pathfinder behind it. “No.”  
  
“Oh no,” he brother said. “You’re not getting out of this one.”  
  
She blushed even further and pushed at Reyes to let her out of the booth. “I’m going to need another drink for this,” she said.  
  
Reyes laughed, but obliged her. As she walked toward the bar Scott continued.  
  
“We’d only been back on Earth a few weeks and Sara had met this guy at her Alliance Academy tests earlier that day.” Scott chuckled, “I mean, he was attractive, in that ‘I’ve probably done jail time’ sort of way. But all Sara cared about was that Dad would blow a gasket if he found out.”  
  
Reyes tilted his head questioningly. “Sara doesn’t speak of your father often,” he admitted. “But he didn’t strike me as the protective sort.”  
  
Scott winced. “He wanted to be,” he said. “But, growing up, he was always so busy with his work that he was pretty absentee until we moved back to Earth.”  
Reyes knew enough about the Ryder family to know that was the code phrase for, ‘when mom got sick.’  
  
“So when he started flexing his parental muscle it was too little too late.” Scott sighed. “Sara was mad at just about everything during those days, but she was especially unforgiving when it came to Dad.”  
  
He felt a little guilty for digging up obviously unpleasant memories, but Sara had never been so open with him about her family. Probably because he wasn’t very forthcoming about his. “And you?” Reyes asked. Scott opened his mouth, but his twin had returned.  
  
“Oh, Scott was always much more sympathetic with Dad,” she said, forcing Reyes to scoot over to let her sit. She’d brought two bottles of beer with her, and passed one to him.  
  
By the way Scott rolled his eyes, Reyes guessed that this was a source of contention between them. He decided to keep things light. “So, she decided to sneak out to meet the bad boy from her test…”  
  
Sara groaned from beside him and dropped her head to the table.  
  
“They met at a nearby public pool- keep in mind it was winter.” He looked at his twin like he still thought she was an idiot seven years later. “And they decided to go skinny dipping.”  
  
Reyes felt his eyebrows climb toward his hairline. “On the first date?” He teased, nudging her ribs with his elbow.  
  
She lifted her head to peer at him through a cascade of sandy hair. “What can I say? I’ve tempered in my old age.” She smirked at him, and he scowled to please her. She loved to tease him for being so much older than her. He was only thirty, but if it made her smile, he was okay with that.  
  
“Anyway,” Scott continued. “You can imagine the ruckus they made when they hit the water, and their surprise when the cops showed up.”  
  
Reyes grinned down at her, but she refused to look at him, her attention fixated on toying with the silver band that was always on the middle finger of her right hand.  
  
“Ugh,” she said. “I can feel you grinning at me.”  
  
He winked at Scott and then schooled his features into severe disappointment. “I can’t believe I’m dating a criminal,” he said, shaking his head.  
  
Sara snorted. “I am not a criminal.”  
  
“Uh,” Scott interrupted. “The trespassing and public indecency charges beg to differ.”  
  
Real shock took over his features then. “You were actually charged?”  
  
“And sentenced,” Scott said, his voice and face smug.  
  
Sara scoffed, “six months community service.”  
  
Reyes bowed his head and made the sign of the cross with his right hand. “The fall of Santa Sarita,” he said mournfully.  
  
She shoved him playfully and Scott let out a boisterous belly laugh.  
  
“Don’t forget the best part,” she said darkly once Scott caught his breath. A moment passed between the twins, and Reyes wondered how often they communicated without saying a word.  
  
Finally Scott relented. “When Dad got the phone call that she’d been booked, he thanked the officer, and then went back to bed.” Scott’s voice was suddenly uncomfortable. This was obviously a part of the tale he didn’t enjoy. “He left her there overnight, and when we went to bail her out the next morning, he admitted that he’d been the one to call in the noise complaint.”  
  
Reyes looked between the twins, waiting for an explanation. “Surely he didn’t know-”  
  
“Oh, he knew,” she said bitterly. “He knew the minute I left the house, and he followed me.” She took a harsh pull on her beer. “And when he saw what I was doing, instead of dealing with it himself, he called the police.” She stared at the table for a moment, then took a deep breath. “It took six months of hard work to get those charges off my record, and it was only that lenient because the judge was an old friend of Mom’s.”  
  
He caught Scott’s eye, gauging the truth of her words. Scott just nodded uncomfortably in confirmation. “Damn,” Reyes said.  
  
“Yeah,” the twins agreed.  
  
“Mom never did find out though,” Scott added.  
  
“No,” Sara laughed bitterly. “Dad and I spun it so that I decided to do some extra-curricular work to standout on my Academy application.”  
  
“That was the one thing you two could agree on.” Scott smiled. “Protecting Mom.”  
  
“I guess so,” she said, suddenly very interested in the label on her beer bottle. Silence fell on the booth, and Reyes was all too aware of how tight his collar felt. This was why he didn’t do family stuff. But, before he had a chance to actually go insane with nervous energy, Scott’s omnitool lit up with a vidcall.  
  
“It’s Gil,” he said, looking down at the device. “Excuse me a moment.” He slid out of the booth and walked out of the bar.  
  
He and Sara sat awkwardly for a moment. He wanted to let her talk first, but after a moment it was apparent that she had no interest in speaking, or even looking at him. He let out a heavy breath. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have pried.”  
  
“What?” She looked up at him, confused.  
  
“The story,” he said, shrugging. “I shouldn’t have pushed him.”  
  
She rolled her eyes at him. “Please, it’s one of his favorites to tell.” She smirked. “Except for the end. That part makes him uncomfortable, so I make sure he tells it.” She smiled at him, but he could tell her mood was far from recovering. “My dad was never very good with me, and I didn’t make things easy on him,” she admitted. “But, in his own insensitive and unforgiving way, I know he loved me.”  
  
She looked away then, but not before Reyes saw the moisture pooling in her eyes. “Princesa,” he murmured against her temple, pressing a kiss there. She took a shuddering breath and he rubbed her back with one hand until he felt her pull herself back together.  
  
“I’m OK,” she said.  
  
“You’re more than OK,” he said, clinking the neck of his bottle against hers. “You’re perfect.”  
  
She giggled and shook her head. “Goddamn, you’re cheesy Vidal,” she said. But she drank with him to his toast.  
  
“You love it,” he said, setting his bottle down.  
  
She rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly, but didn’t argue with him. He spent the next few minutes lavishing her with corny lines and puns, until he had her laughing again. Her laugh felt like sunrise on Kadara, and he was certain he could spend years making sure she never frowned again. That thought brought on an intense swell of emotion, and Sara took notice. Her giggles hushed, and her bottom lip wound up pulled between her teeth. He felt a very distinct rush of heat course through his body, and he really wanted to shove her down on that booth.  
  
Instead, he brought a hand up and smoothed her hair back behind her ear. He took a sharp breath as she leaned into his touch.  
  
“I missed you,” she murmured against his palm.  
  
“God,” he huffed. “I missed you, too.”  
  
She smiled at that, and he felt as if his mother’s Saints had finally blessed him, 600 years and two million light-years later.  
  
“Hey,” Scott said to announce his return.  
  
Reyes pulled his hand from Sara’s face, and struggled to control his own blush. He wasn’t used to being so public with his affections for her.  
  
“I’ve got dinner plans with Gil,” her brother said, still standing beside their table. “Sorry to cut this short.”  
  
Sara stood to hug him. “It’s fine,” she said.  
  
Reyes followed her out of the booth, and caught the Asari’s eyes. She sent the tab, and he processed payment with his omnitool. When he turned back to the twins, Scott’s hand was extended toward him.  
  
“It was nice to meet you, man,” Scott said.  
  
“You too,” Reyes said, and was surprised to find he meant it.  
  
Scott smiled at them and then winked at his sister. “Don’t wait up for me!”  
  
“Oh I won’t,” she said, and then grabbed his arm. “Wait a minute,” she said. “You’re not using the apartment, are you?”  
  
“Yeah,” Scott drawled. “It’s my weekend with it.”  
  
“You had it last weekend!”  
  
“You let me use it because your plans fell through,” Scott countered. “It’s still my weekend.”  
  
Reyes looked down at his boots, hiding his blush. He was the reason her plans fell through last weekend. They were supposed to meet for some seriously needed catching up, but he’d had something of a Charlatan emergency and had to postpone.  
  
“Scott,” she said, a dangerous edge to her voice. “Do not do this.”  
  
He sighed. “I told Gil you’d be pissed.”  
  
“Don’t put this on him,” she said, stabbing a finger into her brother’s chest.  
  
“Look,” he started. “I’ve already made arrangements and plans around that room. I can’t give it up.”  
  
“I swear to God-”  
  
“But!” He said over her threat. “Gil and I worked together to get you two some privacy on the Tempest.”  
  
Silence. Sara tapped her foot as she considered her brother’s words. “Even Kallo? Kallo never leaves the ship.”  
  
“Even Kallo,” Scott promised. “He and Suvi have been invited to spend the evening out with the Nexus science team doing all kinds of nerdy things, which is bound to be capped off with a bout of strong drinks.” He stepped forward and put his hands on her shoulders. “I have every crew member’s promise that they will not even think about the Tempest until 10 a.m. tomorrow.”  
  
Reyes thought that sounded pretty nice, and Sara must have agreed because Scott smiled.  
  
“Thank you, Sis. You’re the best.” He gave her a quick kiss on each cheek and then nodded goodbye to Reyes.  
  
Before Scott could get too far she called out to him. “Don’t damage our Engineer! We need him to fly the ship!”  
  
Scott spun but kept walking backwards. “The same could be said of the Pathfinder. Better be careful, Reyes.” He brother winked and then left the bar.  
  
He had to laugh at that, and when he saw the heat of Sara’s blush he couldn’t keep his humor in check.  
  
“Oh, shut up,” she said, but took his hand and led him from the bar.


	2. The  Tempest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara and Reyes try and get to know one another a little better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks to everyone who left kudos or comments on Chapter 1! You're all amazing! Just a head's up that this chapter is NSFW. Also I wanted to warn you all that there is Spanish in this chapter. Now, I do not speak Spanish, and my understanding of it is... limited. Also, I know there are quite a few accent marks missing, and so I just want to apologize to Spanish speakers now.
> 
> As usual, let me know what you think of this chapter in the comments! And keep an eye out for the next one!

The Nexus had shifted into the night cycle while they were in the bar. Reyes was still awed by the changes that had come to pass since the arrival of the Pathfinder. When he’d lived here there hadn’t been enough power to have day and night cycles, there had only been the suffocating dark. But now there was so much more than artificial sunlight. There were merchants, a bar, and the sounds of life buzzing everywhere. All because of the woman who currently tugged him through the crowd.  
  
People recognized her as they walked towards the docks. Most just cheered or called out their thanks as she rushed past them, but a few put hands on her to try and get her to stop and talk. Reyes very nearly pulled the small pistol that was nestled against his lower back when one man wouldn’t let go of her, but Sara handled it in her own way. She stopped and talked to the man. By the end of their five minute conversation, the man was misty-eyed and thanking her profusely for giving his family a chance at life. She smiled, looking a little misty herself, and shook his hand, then they went on their way.  
  
Reyes chuckled, and she looked back at him.  
  
“What?”  
  
“You are incredibly patient,” he said.  
  
“What else could I do?” She asked.  
  
“Well, I was preparing to draw a gun on him, so…” He shrugged.  
  
She laughed. “He just wanted to talk!”  
  
“Sure, that one did,” he said as they entered the bay that led to her ship. “Just promise to be careful,” he said.  
  
She stared at him. “I’m a biotic,” she said finally, as if explaining the concept to a child. “I’m always armed. A lot of people don’t know that, or they forget.”  
  
“Good,” he said, but he was a little distracted. The hall they walked down was dimly lit, and the shadows clung to the curve of her neck in a most interesting way. He tugged on her hand, spinning her back to him, and then pressed her against the wall.  
  
She gasped as her back hit the wall, and the sound sent a chill up his spine. He pressed his mouth to her neck, kissing and nipping his way up to her jaw.  
  
“Reyes,” she keened, tilting her head back to offer up more of her neck.  
  
His name on her lips lit a fire in his blood, and he actually growled as he pressed against her. “I missed you,” he said against her lips.  
  
She moaned into their kiss, and it was answer enough for him. They spent a moment tangled up against the wall. Her hand had found purchase in his hair, and he let out a pleasured hiss as she tugged at it. He lifted one of her legs to hook around his hip, and the friction that brought between them was almost unbearable. Her mouth found his earlobe, and she nipped at it, bringing a moan to his lips.  
  
But then she pulled away, panting. “Not here,” she said.  
  
His head fell back in frustration, although he knew she was right.  
  
“Just a little further,” she coaxed. She ran her hands up and down his chest in an attempt to comfort him.  
  
He closed his eyes, breathing through his nose, and nodded. “Just a little further.” He stepped away from her, and let her take his hand and lead him on down the hall.  
  
They reached the Tempest, and climbed the ramp into the cargo bay. Reyes had never been on the ship before, and his curiosity got the better of him. He craned his neck to get a better look as they walked through the ship.  
  
“Do you want the tour?” She asked, her tone teasing.  
  
He shook his head. “Later,” he said.  
  
“SAM?” She asked as they reached the door to her quarters.  
  
“Yes, Pathfinder?” The cool voice of the AI responded through the ship’s comms.  
  
“Is there anyone else aboard?” The door opened and she dragged Reyes through into her room.  
  
“Only Mr. Vidal and yourself are on board, Pathfinder.”  
  
“Perfect,” she said with a wicked grin. “Make sure it stays that way until morning.”  
  
“Of course, Pathfinder,” the AI answered without any hint of inflection or judgment.  
  
Sara pulled him closer, and walked toward the couch. She kissed him, her lips patient and undemanding. It took every bit of his control not to shove her down onto that couch.  
But Reyes Vidal was a man of control, after all.  
  
They separated and Sara smiled at him, bright and world-shattering. “And SAM?” She called.  
  
“Yes, Sara?”  
  
“Might want to focus your processing power somewhere else for a while.”  
  
“Understood, Pathfinder.”  
  
There was silence for a moment as they both waited to see if SAM would say anything else, but the AI was as good as his word. Reyes caught her lip in his teeth and tugged. She moaned against him and wrapped her arms behind his neck. He took the invitation and gripped her thighs just below her ass to wrap her legs around him. She clung to him, and damn if it didn’t feel perfect.  
  
Her hair fell forward as she deepened their kiss, and the distinct smell of her mint shampoo filled his senses. Vetra had come to Kadara looking for it, and once Reyes found out it was for Ryder, he made sure he always had a supply. He smiled against her lips, and her tongue snuck out to trace the curl of his lips.  
  
“Evil,” he whispered.  
  
“My secret’s out,” she murmured, resting her forehead to his. “I’ve been arrested.” She kissed him. “Tried.” Another, deeper kiss. “Found guilty.”  
  
“Well,” he said, panting. “I must confess, I have a weakness for bad girls.”  
  
She laughed then. “Looks like we both have terrible taste.”  
  
“Oh, no.” He shook his head. “I used to, but I’ve recently seen major improvement in that department.” He tightened his arms around her waist, securing her body against his, and walked to the bed. He kicked off his shoes, and then let them both fall to the bed.  
  
Sara laughed as they bounced slightly, and Reyes was sure he could explode from the sound. Her eyes were scrunched shut against her laughter, her head tilted back against the mattress. It was one of his favorite of her expressions. Pure, unmitigated joy. Surely no amount of prayers could have earned him this much happiness. But he thanked his mother and his abuela, because they were the only ones who had ever bothered to pray for him. If there was even the slightest chance they had helped, then he owed them more than he could ever repay.  
  
“Where’d you go?” Sara asked. Her fingers traced the line of his cheekbone.  
  
He smiled at her. “I was thinking about who I need to thank for putting you in my path.”  
  
She tilted her head, interested. “Like a god?”  
  
“No,” he said. “Although my abuela would have disagreed.” He wasn’t sure if she understood the term, but she seemed intrigued nonetheless.  
  
“Tell me about her,” she said. He knew she wasn’t pressing, and if he wanted he could refuse. It was tempting. He hadn’t talked about his family long before he went to the Cryo Bay, and for good reason. But there, in her room, lying between her hips he knew that he’d never be more ready.  
  
He pulled himself to lie beside her and propped up on one elbow, a hand on her stomach. She looked up at him, and he knew that this was right. “My abuela was a crazy old woman. She was devout and would whip us kids if she caught us skipping Mass. She made the best pozole every Christmas, and she always had the right advice.” Reyes smiled as memories of his grandmother flooded him for the first time in almost two decades. “She had long, wiry silver hair that she kept in a thick braid and golden brown eyes that saw everything.”  
  
“Your eyes,” Sara said. She reached a finger out to skim below his left eye.  
  
“Yeah,” he agreed. “My mom used to say she couldn’t escape my abuela when it was her eyes that stared back out of my face.”  
  
Sara frowned. “Were they not close?”  
  
“My abuela could be harsh, and she had a lot to say about how my mom lived her life.” He could tell she wanted to ask more, but was afraid he would shut down on her. He decided it was time to open up a little. He took a deep breath. “I was the oldest of three, all boys.” He caught the wonder on her face as she realized he was actually sharing personal details with her. It made him smile and gave him courage. “My dad was Alliance, but was dishonorably discharged.” His smile faded somewhat. “He got drunk and stole a shuttle.”  
  
“He was a pilot?”  
  
He nodded. “A damn good one too, when he could put the bottle down.”  
  
“Is that why you became a pilot?”  
  
He caught her eyes and considered her for a moment. “Something like that.” He’d used the line enough that she knew he meant he wasn’t ready to delve that far yet. “When the Alliance gave him the boot, my abuela told Mama she should too, but my mom loved my dad, for better,” he sighed. “And definitely for worse.”  
  
Sara put her hand on his, where it rested on her stomach, and laced her fingers with his.  
  
“I was fourteen when the Blue Suns kicked in our door demanding what my father owed them.” He shook his head, the bitterness and anger he thought he’d dealt with bubbling back. “Turned out my dad had borrowed a lot of money to keep a roof over our heads, and had no way to pay it back.” Reyes could see it all still, like it had just happened. Was still happening.  
  
“He begged,” he said, his eyes far away. “I’ll never forget that. He fell to his knees, sobbing, and begged to be spared. Not for us kids, or his wife, but for his own life. But my mom and abuela refused to kneel.” He shook his head, but couldn’t shake the gloom that nestled on his shoulders. “They shot him there on the kitchen floor, took my mother, abuela, and brothers and sold them to Batarians to try and make their money back. They would have sold me too, but the Batarians wouldn’t take me. Said I would be too much trouble.” He smiled and it was feral, all teeth. “They were right. So, the Suns kept me, until I turned sixteen and I ran away and joined the Alliance. I figured the mercs couldn’t touch me there.”  
  
Sara was quiet for a long moment, but Reyes barely noticed. It’d been so long since he’d thought of any of them. So long since he’d heard his mother’s voice in his head, his father’s sobs, or his brothers’ confused questions as he shushed them under their grandmother’s bed.  
  
“Reyes?” She asked finally.  
  
It took a moment, but he blinked and she was there, looking up at him with tears in her eyes. Her hands were on either side of his face, her thumbs wiping at his cheeks. He was surprised to find tears of his own there.  
  
“Jesus,” he said, sitting up sharply to look away from her. He wiped at his face, ashamed. “I’m sorry, Sara. This isn’t why we came here.”  
  
She sat up and pressed her body against his back, her arms wrapped around his chest. “I came here to be with you, Reyes,” she said at his ear. “If that means all we do is talk, then we talk.” He could hear the fragile smile in her voice. “We have all night.”  
  
He wanted to say something. To thank her, but his throat was suddenly blocked. He nodded, instead, and she rested her head against his shoulder.  
  
“When was the last time you talked about them?” She asked when his heartbeat calmed against her palm.  
  
“Huh,” he said and thought about it. “I think I mentioned my mother once to someone when I first got out of cryo. I was just trying to be friendly and keep everyone grounded. Talking about home did that for a lot of people who were starting to panic.”  
  
“Did you ever look for them?”  
  
He shook his head. “Didn’t have to. Alliance cruiser caught the Batarian ship as it disembarked the planet. Shot it out of the sky. No survivors.” He took some settling breaths and determined to put this conversation behind them. This wasn’t why he came to the Tempest. “Tell me about your last relationship,” he said, turning to face her.  
  
“What? Ew. Why?”  
  
He laughed. “Now I have to know more! Why is your first reaction ‘ew’?”  
  
She looked at him accusingly. “Are you going to tell me About Zia?”  
  
He forced a grin. “You’re assuming Zia was my last relationship.”  
  
“Jesus, Reyes.” Sara ran a hand through her hair. “How many girlfriends have you had?”  
  
He took a moment to count. “Girlfriends? Four.”  
  
She squinted at him. “Boyfriends?”  
  
He laughed again. “Two.”  
  
“And in Andromeda?”  
  
“Counting you?”  
  
“No.” She shook her head.  
  
“One,” he said, all the humor gone from his face. “Zia and I came here together. But when we woke up, something had snapped in her.” He shook his head, a strand of hair falling down onto his forehead. “She’d always been a little cold. A little brutal. But she had never been cruel. That changed when we woke up.”  
  
Sara reached up and swept the hair back from his face. “Lexi and I actually did some research on Elaaden about that.”  
  
“Oh?” That caught his interest, if only because he imagined Ryder in safety goggles and a white lab coat, and little else.  
  
“We think there’s a side effect of cryostasis that messes with brain chemistry, eliminating natural inhibitions.”  
  
“Huh,” he said, shocked.  
  
“Yeah,” she agreed. “Turns out a lot of exiles are affected.”  
  
“Am I?” He asked, suddenly worried.  
  
Sara laughed and pulled him back on the bed with her. “Why? Aren’t you feeling inhibited?”  
  
“With you? Never,” he purred against her neck.  
  
She giggled, and squirmed beneath him and Reyes enjoyed the sensation. He kissed the length of her neck, taking his time to bite and leave satisfying little marks. When he reached her ear he took the tender skin of her lobe into his mouth. A hitch in her breaths was his reward.  
  
“Don’t think you got away with it, Ryder,” he crooned.  
  
“Got away with what?” She asked, her mind obviously preoccupied with his attentions.  
  
“You deflected my question with a few of your own,” he growled, switching to her other ear, the one with her tattoo.  
  
“Oh. That.”  
  
He traced a fingertip along the bright purple ink on her cheek. “Tell me about this.”  
  
She swallowed and took a moment to gather her words. “I got it when I graduated biotics training,” she said. “After I got my implant, but before I earned my amp, my biotics felt like static that ran unchecked through my head, through my nerves.”  
  
Reyes ghosted his fingers down her arms.  
  
She hissed. “Yeah, never felt that good.”  
  
He chuckled, but didn’t stop.  
  
“When I put my amp on for the first time, everything sharpened and honed.” She swallowed as his hand snuck beneath her shirt to skim across the smooth skin of her stomach. “They say everyone connects with their biotics differently, but for me it was like I locked into the frequency, and it radiated from behind my ear.”  
  
“So you commemorated it.”  
  
“Exactly.”  
  
He pressed his lips to the artwork in question, and then moved to settle himself between her legs. There were still too many pieces of clothing between them, but at least they were back on track.  
  
She opened her eyes and he swore they were more beautiful than the bright pools on Kadara. That she could look at him with such reverence, after everything he’d done, the secrets he’d kept, he wasn’t able to understand. His hands found the hem of her shirt, and she didn’t hesitate to sit up and help him remove it. He tossed it somewhere far from the bed, and she laughed before pressing her mouth to his. Then her hands were on his shirt, and together they awkwardly removed the bulky material.  
  
As soon as the fabric was clear, Sara’s hot mouth was pressed to his flesh. He let his head fall back, the moan rumbling in his chest before it climbed his throat and found its way to his lips in the form of her name. Her hands clung to his back, bringing their bodies closer together.  
  
“I missed you, Reyes,” she said between kisses she sprinkled across his rib cage.  
  
“I missed you,” he said.  
  
“Don’t ever go that long without seeing me again,” she demanded.  
  
He laughed, but it was quiet. “You always know where I am, Pathfinder.”  
  
She made a dissatisfied sound. “You are the only reason I go to Kadara.”  
  
“I thought you liked Umi’s drinks?” He teased.  
  
“The Tempest has a better bar.”  
  
“The Tempest has a bar?” He asked, surprised.  
  
“No,” she conceded. “But it really should.” She focused on his belt, removing it quickly and unbuttoning his pants. He stood to remove them, revealing black boxers that clung to his thighs. He stood for a moment, letting her blue eyes take him in.  
  
“Damn, Vidal,” she said and whistled.  
  
He rolled his eyes, but felt a slight blush tint his cheeks. Curse this woman, he thought again. She did strange things to him. Made him talk about his past, do family things, and even made him blush! He caught her looking him up and down one more time, her bottom lip caught in her teeth in a very tantalizing way.  
  
“Enough sightseeing,” he growled. He climbed over her, and unfastened the button on her pants. She lifted her hips and he tugged the pants down over her smooth legs. He discarded the clothing to the floor, drinking her in.  
  
While she wasn’t sickly pale, she definitely had much lighter skin than he did. She was tan compared to Cora or her science officer, but Reyes enjoyed the creamy quality of her skin next to his. The matching black undergarments she wore only emphasized that contrast. She made quick work of her bra, chucking the garment across the room. Reyes took the opportunity to remove his boxers in much the same fashion before he returned to his perch between her knees. His lips found purchase on the soft skin above the hem of her underwear. He left dry, feathery kisses along the elastic band until she moaned and rocked her hips.  
  
“Princesa,” he murmured against her skin. “Tal perfección que no merezco.”  
  
“What?” She breathed. “You know my translator isn’t set for Earth languages.”  
  
“Lo se,” he murmured. “Por eso lo dije.” He caught the edge of the fabric in his teeth and tugged.  
  
“Fine,” she said between breaths. “Be that way.”  
  
He huffed a chuckle against her skin, and pulled her underwear down around her ankles, before discarding those as well. “Sabes que te gusta mi voz mas en espanol.” His lips skirted along her downy center, teasing her.  
  
“Reyes,” she whined.  
  
“Que, Princesa?” He let a hand wander up her body, taking his time tracing patterns along her skin until he found a pert breast.  
  
She moaned and arched against his palm. His other hand found her wet heat then, and she cried out his name.  
  
“Dime que quieres, Sarita.” He couldn’t look away from her body writhing beneath him. She was intoxicating, a treasure so much greater than Sloane’s whiskey ever was. “Mirame,” he said, and though she didn’t know the meaning, the command in his voice was clear.  
  
Her head snapped up, and those bright blue eyes with the emerald centers found his gaze from under their heavy lids. Sweat beaded on her upper lip, and she licked at it quickly before speaking. “I don’t know what you’re saying, but God, I need you, Reyes.”  
  
He grinned at her, lopsided with affection for this impossible woman that had given herself to him. She smiled back, the warmth in her eyes threatening any remaining defenses he had. He dropped forward, his weight on his forearms, and kept himself poised at her entrance, no matter how badly he wanted to delve into the aching heat of her.  
  
Reyes Vidal was a man of control, after all.  
  
She looked up at him, her mouth crumpled with need. “Please,” she whispered against his mouth.  
  
“Como desees,” he said, and then granted bother their wishes.


	3. The Humiliation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hi guys! Thanks for all the comments and kudos! I'm really happy someone besides myself gets some enjoyment out of this thing. This one's shorter, and mainly just delicious fluff. Enjoy!

Reyes drifted somewhere between bone-melting relaxation and sleep. Sara lay beside him, her back pressed to his chest and her hand clasped in his at her stomach. Each breath brought the smells of their exertion; sweat, sex, and the mint of her hair. He pressed his lips to the damp skin on the nape of her neck and hummed at the satisfied sigh she let out.  
  
She mumbled something, but he couldn’t catch it.  
  
“Hmm, what?” He whispered against her ear. He was surprised to feel her body shake as she took a breath.  
  
“Don’t leave,” she said.  
  
Reyes frowned. “’I won’t,” he promised. He pulled her tighter against him. “We have all night, remember?” Where was this coming from?  
  
She shook her head. “No, I mean-” She stopped herself and he realized what she meant. Don’t leave… ever.  
  
“Sara,” he started, unsure of what she wanted him to say. “I can’t…”  
  
“Why?” She turned in his arms to face him. “You said it yourself, you rule from the shadows. Why do they have to be Kadara’s?”  
  
He tried not to notice the pleading note in her voice, and actually considered her question. She had a point. “And what?” He said, “I’d join you here, on the Tempest?” She didn’t say anything, but they both knew that’s what she’d intended. “I’m not sure that would work.” His voice was soft in an effort to make it plain that he wished it would.  
  
“Why?”  
  
“I’d be a distraction, for one.”  
  
She scoffed.  
  
“Your crew would talk, a lot.” Especially the flighty Asari. Reyes could recognize a gossip when he saw one.  
  
“So?” She asked, her voice hard and defensive.  
  
“What would you do? Bring me on board and announce that your boyfriend, a known criminal by-the-by, has come to stay?” Sara refused to meet his gaze. “Where would I bunk?” He continued. “Here, with you?” There was a heavy silence, and he felt her breath hitch.  
  
“Would that be so bad?” Her voice was small and wavering. It made Reyes hate himself.  
  
He sighed. “No, Sarita.” He pressed his lips to her forehead. “No. That would be wonderful,” he admitted. “But you must admit, it’s a tad unreasonable.” She huffed against his chest and he accepted it as capitulation.  
  
“I just can’t bear the thought of waiting six more weeks to see you again.”  
  
His heart clenched at her words. He tightened his arms around her, resting his chin in her hair. “That would be… unacceptable.”  
  
“So, what are we going to do?” She asked, her voice a whisper of sweet breath on his skin.  
  
“We’ll have to make plans,” he told her. “You’ll come to Kadara every so often and I’ll meet you somewhere else the rest of the time.” He stopped and considered his next words. “At least at first.”  
  
“And then what?” She looked up at him and the hope in her blue eyes buoyed him.  
  
“Then we can start talking about where the Charlatan’s base of operations should be.”  
  
She smiled at him, but it took only a moment for the wheels of her mind to start turning.  
  
He laughed and rolled to drag her on top of him. “Slow down, Ryder! We’ve got time,” he said. “Let’s give your team a chance to get to know me before you shove me down their throats.” Her eyes lit up at his words, a mischievous grin curling her lips. He groaned. “Don’t,” he warned.  
  
Her grin only grew. “That’s what she sai-”  
  
Before she could finish her terrible joke Reyes canted his hips, dumping her off of him and onto the mattress. “That’s it,” he cried. “Get off me!” Sara’s laughter filled the cabin and suddenly everything was right with the galaxy again. He smiled, and enjoyed her laughs for a moment, basking in her joy. Once she settled he raised an eyebrow at her. “Shower?”  
  
“Shower,” she agreed.  
  
Reyes watched her roll out of the bed and felt a surge of heat run through him. She was all soft lines and curves to his eyes, but his hands knew there was supple strength concealed under her creamy skin. Muscles that less than an hour ago, had flexed against him, impatient and demanding.  
  
“Where’d you go?” She asked with a smile from the foot of the bed.  
  
“Nowhere,” he promised. He pushed himself out of bed and followed her out to the showers.  
  
Outside her room the Tempest was eerily quiet. The cool metal floors sent a chill up through the soles of his feet.  
  
“It’s kind of creepy,” she said as they turned into the bathroom.  
  
“What?” he glanced around the room to see that it was a pretty tight space, considering how many crew the Tempest had. There were urinals, a toilet, some lockers for towels and toiletries, and a wide shower with multiple heads.  
  
“The quiet.” She shrugged, and then reached in to turn on each of the shower heads. “Normally there’s at least the sound of the drive core during FTL, and there’s almost always some conversation happening across multiple decks between the crew.”  
  
Steam billowed up at them from as the water reached a more inviting temperature. The comparative chill of the room brought gooseflesh to his arms. He rubbed at his skin as he watched Sara step into the shower. Hey enjoyed the sight of water beading on her skin, running down in rivulets that begged for attention from his tongue.  
  
“You coming?” She called over the din of the water.  
  
That was all the invitation he needed. The water was hotter than he anticipated, and though he hissed, it felt damn good. He scrubbed at his skin in a daze. The rhythm of the water crashing against him and onto the shower floor was the perfect background for his thoughts. Because, despite their change in tone, her words were still bouncing around his mind.  
  
‘You work from the shadows. Why do they have to be Kadara’s?’ She wasn’t wrong, but the Collective wasn’t well established enough for him to be comfortable with more than a week away. Keema had the Port itself under control; she was more than capable in that regard. But the day-to-day responsibilities of running the Collective was a big job. Even he couldn’t do it all on his own, that’s why he had a network of Lieutenants that handled the various cells of their operations.  
  
Gentle fingers found purchase in the slick hairs of his chest, pulling him from his thoughts.  
  
“Reyes,” she spoke against the side of his neck.  
  
“Hmm?” He tilted his head, giving her lips more skin to explore.  
  
She obliged him for a moment, her mouth tracking wet kisses up to his jaw. She sighed against him, her arms tight around his chest. “I’m sorry.”  
  
He glanced over his shoulder at her, but she didn’t look at him. “For what, Princesa?”  
  
“For that whole conversation.” She waved in the direction of her quarters. “I shouldn’t have asked that of you.” She smiled sheepishly at him. “Or sprung it on you quite like that.”  
  
He smiled. “You’ve definitely given me much to think on,” he said. “But I’ll need time. There are… considerations to be had.”  
  
“Kadara things?”  
  
He nodded. “And Reyes things,” he admitted after a moment.  
  
“Reyes things?” She was pressed flush against his back, head resting on his shoulder. He found the press of her breasts on his skin extremely distracting.  
  
He shrugged. “It’s been just me for a long time.”  
  
“What about Zia?” She teased.  
  
He snorted. “You overestimate that relationship.”  
  
She grinned against his shoulder blade, no doubt pleased with herself. “But you came to Andromeda together.”  
  
“Not quite.” He turned and put his hands on her high waist, nestling just below her ribcage. “I signed on before Zia had ever heard of the Initiative.”  
  
She raised an eyebrow at him. “So, what? She followed you?”  
  
“Unfortunately,” he admitted. “It was most certainly not the plan.”  
  
Sara chuckled, and the movement at her throat was a magnet to his lips. She made delicious little sounds as he worked his way up to her jaw, but despite his attentions she continued with her questions.  
  
“Is that your M.O. then?”  
  
“What?” He asked, entirely too focused on her skin to understand the question.  
  
“Disappear, literally, when you’re done with someone?”  
  
He pulled back to look at her. Her face was teasing, her lips lifted at one corner in that way that guaranteed trouble. But her eyes had a shimmer of doubt in them. Reyes was suddenly all too aware of the chill in the water. He ran his thumbs across the sensitive skin just beneath her breasts.  
  
“I think it’s safe to say that this time’s different.”  
  
She pursed her lips, unsatisfied with his non-answer, but she eventually nodded. He ducked beneath the water one last time and then turned it off. He tried not to feel the weight of her gaze as he toweled off, but her giggle as he hung up his towel was more than he could ignore.  
  
“What?” He turned to her and knew it was a mistake. She was wrapped in her white Initiative towel, her hair still trickling tantalizing trails of water down her chest.  
  
She noticed his focus, because when she stepped toward him her eyes had darkened with sudden desire. Her hand reached up to twine her fingers in his hair. “I didn’t realize your hair could be so… untamed.”  
  
He knew how his hair must look; mussed and threatening to curl in the hot, damp air of the bathroom. It took a lot of work each day to corral it into his usual slicked back style. He chuckled, low and throaty as his arms wrapped around her. “You’ve found my deepest secret.” His mouth dropped to lap at the wet trail between her breasts. “I am hopelessly vain.”  
  
Her head fell back with a breathy laugh. “I don’t know, I think I like this look better.”  
  
He pulled up to stare at her. “Surely, you’re joking.”  
  
Her hand ran through his thick locks, experimenting with it. “There’s a lot of potential here, Vidal.” She smirked at him and pulled his head back. Hard.  
  
“Tease,” he hissed.  
  
She only smiled before her mouth blazed a trail from his chest to his jaw. His mind went blank, the only things he was aware of were her lips and her hands. He didn’t even realize he was panting until she released him and stepped away.  
  
“Ready for the tour?” she asked brightly, apparently unaffected by her mouth’s voyage across his body.  
  
“What? Now?”  
  
She shrugged, walking toward her quarters. “We should pace ourselves.” She glanced over her shoulder at him and let her towel drop to the floor, a wicked grin on her face. “We’ve got all night, remember?”  
  
Reyes growled as the door opened and she walked away from him, but he followed after her before she could escape his sight.  
  
  
  
The tour took much longer than expected, mainly because they kept stopping to take advantage of key areas. It had started with the Nomad, which presented a very interesting opportunity. As the tour continued, more opportunities presented themselves in the form of the galaxy map, conference table, and Liam’s couch. Finally they’d made it back to her room to conclude all the teasing and exploration from around the Tempest.  
  
Sara lay beside him, her breathing deep and regular. She was eager to spend their time well, but had only been cleared for duty two weeks ago. Reyes had to remind himself that, despite her efforts to tell him otherwise, she was still mending from her ordeal on Meridian. And even he had to admit he was exhausted, blissfully so.  
  
He traced idle patterns in her skin, and had almost drifted off himself, when a bright flashing from the direction of the couch announced unread messages on his omnitool. Careful not to disturb the lightly snoring Pathfinder, Reyes stood and plopped onto the sofa. He dimmed the orange glow to its lowest setting and scrolled through his email. There were several operation reports from his Lieutenants. He skimmed them, looking for any hints of trouble, but it seemed everything had gone according to plan for once.  
  
A message from Keema assured him that the Port would still be there upon his return, and that if he wanted more time with “his lady love” he should take it. He snorted at that, but scrolled on. She reported that the hunt for lingering Outcast cells was going well and that Umi had only poisoned two people in his absence. He chuckled. He and Keema both knew that Umi didn’t give two shits who ran Kadara; if someone pissed her off she’d take matters into her own hands.  
  
In the dark room he heard movement on the bed, the soft rustle of limbs readjusting under the sheets.  
  
“Reyes?” Sara’s voice called out a moment later.  
  
He smiled at the effects sleep had on her voice. It was always low and a little rough, but now her voice very nearly crackled through the dark.  
  
“I’m here, Princesa,” he called back, his voice soothing. He hadn’t intended to interrupt her sleep. More rustling and the soft padding of her feet on the floor. Then she was beside him, leaning a deliciously bare hip against the arm of the couch.  
  
“What are you doing?” She asked through a yawn.  
  
“Just catching up on some emails,” he said. He snaked an arm around her hips and caressed the soft skin appreciatively.  
  
“And how is Kadara Port doing in your absence?”  
  
He considered typing a quick reply to Keema, but that would require removing his hand from Sara’s hip. Unthinkable. “Kadara Port doesn’t even know I’m gone,” he smiled. His head found a pillow in the curve of her waist and her hand wound into his wild hair. She stroked idly at his forehead and temples, and Reyes thought he’d never been more relaxed in his life.  
  
“Come back to bed,” she said. She yawned again, and he smiled.  
  
“As you wish, Princesa.”  
  
  
  
“Pathfinder,” SAM’s cool voice startled Reyes from the deepest sleep he’d had since cryo. “Kallo Jath is demanding to be let on board.”  
  
Sara grumbled from beside him, but he was pretty sure there weren’t any words in it. At least, not any intelligible ones.  
  
“Shall I continue to bar his attempts?” SAM asked. “He is attracting much attention.”  
  
“Ugh.” She rolled over, an arm draped across her eyes to block out the bright light of the Nexus’s day cycle. “What time is it?”  
  
Reyes wasn’t sure who she was asking, but he pulled the sheet over his head in a petulant attempt to get more sleep.  
  
“It is 11:45 Nexus Standard Time,” the AI replied.  
  
“Shit!” Sara sprang from the bed, dragging some of his sheet with her.  
  
He groaned and pulled a pillow over his head. He could hear her scrambling to get dressed, to become the Pathfinder once more. But, he didn’t have to be anyone but Reyes for another day at least.  
  
“Shit, shit, shit,” she muttered. The bed sank on one side as she sat, probably to put on her shoes. “When do you need to get back to your shuttle?”  
  
“Don’t worry about it,” he grumbled from under the pillow.  
  
“If you miss your embarkation time they’ll impound your shuttle,” she said, as if he didn’t know that.  
  
“Ugh,” he complained, but pulled his head from its hiding place.  
  
“Vetra Nyx and Nakmor Drack have joined Kallo Jath and Officer Anwar at the airlock, Pathfinder.” SAM’s voice held no emotion, and yet it still seemed somehow chiding to Reyes.  
  
“Just let them in SAM!” She yelled. She turned her attention back to him and ran a frustrated hand through her hair. “Your shuttle?” She asked.  
  
He sat up with a groan and waved off her concern. “I paid the Dock Manager extra to keep my time flexible,” he said.  
  
Sara stared at him for a moment and then shook her head. “Of course you did.”  
  
He wasn’t sure, but he swore she sounded upset at that. He raised an eyebrow at her. “Are you okay?”  
  
She stood up straight, closed her eyes, and took a steadying breath. “Sorry,” she said. “I just hadn’t planned on doing the walk of shame in front of my entire crew this morning.”  
  
Reyes couldn’t help it. The laughter bubbled up from his chest, loud and full. It only intensified when she threw his shirt at him.  
  
She pouted at him, but he could see the hint of the smile at the corners of her mouth. “Laugh it up,” she said. “Come see me in the galley when you’re done.” She didn’t wait for him to gain his composure before she left the room.  
  
Reyes dressed quickly, and wrote a two line reply to Keema before he took a glance at himself in the mirror. “Oh, you’re hopeless,” he said to his reflection. His hair stood at all ends, some strands in lustrous waves, others in tight curls. None of it would take kindly to any attempts to wrangle it into his usual coif. He shrugged; that was the least of his worries. He was pretty sure the Pathfinder would find the amount of hickeys on his neck and collarbones mortifying if her crew saw them.  
  
But, there was nothing for it. He simply zipped his jacket up all the way, and ran a hand through his hair. It’d have to do, he decided, and then stepped out into the lion’s den that was the Tempest.


	4. The Salvation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I just have to say a huge thanks to everyone who opened this fic. If you left Kudos or comments, you are a fantastic person. Thank you for supporting our little community of Reyes obsessed fangirls/boys. Alas, this is the end of this particular story, but don't worry, it's just the ground work for more to come.
> 
> Are you ready for your heart to melt a little?

The galley was small and adjacent to Ryder’s quarters. The hallway was empty, and Reyes thought that perhaps the Tempest’s crew were in need of some peace and quiet, and sequestered themselves away in their respective quarters. He waited for the galley door to open, and when it did the sudden hush that fell through it was ominous.  
  
Reyes looked up into the crowded room to find most of the Tempest’s crew staring at him. Sara met his eyes, her gaze pleading for help.  
  
“Good morning?” he ventured, and then stepped into the room.  
  
Sara dropped her head to the table and Scott grinned beside her.  
  
“Good morning, Reyes,” he brother practically shouted.  
  
Vetra rolled her eyes from her spot at the table, squeezed between Scott and Drack, who chortled at the Pathfinder’s obvious discomfort. Reyes honed in on the coffee and was disappointed to see that Cora basically stood guard in front of the pot on the counter. He moved toward it anyway and was surprised when she handed him a steaming cup of coffee. She didn’t meet his gaze, but it was progress. She was his most vocal opponent, and most days he agreed with her reasoning.  
  
“Thank you, Lieutenant,” he said, low enough that only Cora would hear him. She shrugged and made a disgruntled sound in the back of her throat. Progress. Reyes leaned against the counter, crossed his legs, and took an appreciative sip of the black coffee.  
  
The Salarian, her pilot, sat stiffly in his chair. “I don’t see why we needed to spend the night off the ship just so he could spend the night on it,” he muttered.  
  
Every head in the galley turned to stare at him.  
  
“Kallo,” Suvi admonished in a harsh whisper.  
  
“What?” He sniffed indignantly.  
  
Reyes glanced at Sara, and he smirked. Her blue eyes widened and her mouth moved silently, “Don’t.” He only grinned wider. He cleared his throat, and Sara dropped her head again, crossing her arms over it.  
  
“Trust me,” he said to the pilot, all bravado and swagger. “The Tempest is the last place you’d have wanted to be last night.” He paused smirking over his mug. “Let’s just say, we put her through her paces.” He winked for good measure.  
  
A chorus of disgusted noises erupted from the galley. Cora actually stormed out of the room, and Drack and Scott were crying with laughter. When Sara refused to lift her head from the table, Scott pat her back in a mocking attempt to console her as he wiped tears from his face.  
  
Meanwhile Kallo just blinked his big, black, Salarian eyes around the room. Suvi leaned in to whisper to him, and then his mouth dropped open. He stammered for a moment, a disgusted look on his face. “Oh. Ryder,” he said, the disappointment thick in his voice.  
  
The room burst into boisterous laughter once more, and Kallo stood abruptly, his chair screeching against the floor.  “I’m going to go sanitize the bridge,” he said.  
  
Scott fell into another bout of belly laughs, his head falling back against the booth. Tears streamed down his face, and Vetra handed him a napkin from the dispenser on the table. Drack’s deep laugh continued to boom through the room, and Reyes found himself chuckling into his coffee cup.  
  
Kallo was not impressed. “Suvi,” he beckoned to his best friend, and then left the room.  
  
The science officer stood up and shrugged sheepishly. She reached a hand out to Reyes. “Nice to meet you finally,” she said.  
  
Reyes was stunned, but shook her hand all the same. And then she scampered off to follow Kallo.  
  
Scott looked like he was about to pass out, his face was so red from laughing. Vetra rolled her eyes at him, but shot Reyes a friendly smile.  
  
“What’s Scott braying about?” A new voice called from the hallway. “I can hear him all the way in engineering.” A man turned into the galley and pulled up short. “Oh. Hello,” he said to Reyes.  
  
Reyes only nodded in return. The man looked about the galley, taking in the scene. Sara still refused to acknowledge the room. The newcomer turned a bright smile on Reyes. “You must be Vidal,” he drawled.  
  
Sara groaned and Scott hiccuped another laugh.  
  
“Reyes,” he said, reaching his hand out to the man that must be the Tempest’s engineer.  
  
“Gil Brodie,” he returned. He helped himself to a cup of coffee and moved to the table. He looked down at Sara when she refused to move. “Either scoot in and be stuck between us, or stand up,” he warned her.  
  
Reyes raised shocked eyebrows when the Pathfinder stood and moved to lean against the counter beside him.  
  
“God,” Gil said to Scott. “You’re a mess.”  
  
Scott let out an exhausted breath. “Sorry, babe,” he said. “I think Reyes is my new favorite person.”  
  
“That funny, huh?” Gil sipped at his coffee and relaxed to put an arm over Scott’s shoulders.  
  
“He just mortified the Pathfinder into a catatonic state,” Vetra chimed in.  
  
“He, he, he,” Drack’s chuckle rumbled through the room.  
  
“Wow,” Gil said, eyebrows high. “He even got Drack?”  
  
Vetra nodded and Scott struggled not to fall into a whole new fit of giggles at the memory.  
  
“Shame you missed it,” Reyes said. Sara punched his arm, hard. “Ow!” He rubbed at his bicep leaning away from her. She still wouldn’t meet his gaze, and he started to worry that he might have actually upset her.  
  
“Oh, God,” Scott gasped, still recovering. “This is my new favorite story.”  
  
“Can’t wait to hear it,” Gil said, smirking at the Pathfinder.  
  
“Well,” she said after a moment. “As extremely entertaining as this has been, Reyes has a shuttle to catch.”  
  
He glanced at her, concerned. She knew he was under no time constraints, but he wouldn’t force her to let him linger either. He finished the rest of his coffee and set his mug in the sink.  “Nice meeting you all,” he said to the room. “And nice seeing you again, Scott.”  
  
“Don’t be a stranger, Reyes,” her brother called as Sara rushed him out the door.  
  
She didn’t speak to him until the airlock door hissed closed behind them. “Did you get everything?”  
  
Reyes glanced at her, trying to get a read on her mood. Her voice sounded normal, if a little tense. “Yep,” he assured her.  
  
She took a deep breath and laced her fingers in his. “Okay,” she said, and they walked off toward his designated docking bay. She walked with him down the ramp to the LZ, and when his shuttle ramp touched down so he could board she cleared her throat.  
  
“So,” she started. She refused to meet his gaze. “How well did you bribe that dock manager?”  
  
Reyes grinned at her and tugged on her hand, pulling her up the ramp behind him. “I think I have some time,” he said. “Why?” He looked back at her, his expression one of feigned innocence. “What did you have in mind?”  
  
They stepped into the cool dark of his shuttle’s cargo bay. She pressed her body to his, and his back hit the wall of the shuttle. He keyed in the command to close the hatch as her tongue trailed up his neck.  
  
“I’d really like the tour,” she whispered at his ear.  
  
He laughed. “Well, this is the cargo bay.”  
  
She made a show of looking around the room. There were some shipping crates, mostly stock he picked up when he’d waited for her to arrive the day before. “Nice crates,” she said. She looked back at him, and her face was the perfect deadpan.  
  
He smirked and looped his arms around her waist casually. “That’s what all the ladies tell me.”  
  
“I’m sure,” she purred. Her mouth reclaimed its place at his neck and Reyes let his head fall back against the wall. Their time together had taught her much about his desires and sensitive places. It didn’t take long for her kisses to speed his heartbeat and labor his breathing. He swallowed against his rising need for her, and moaned when her tongue traced the movement of his Adam’s apple. The sound drew her attention to his mouth, and when she kissed him there was passion and urgency on her lips. But there was also a lingering quality, like she’d give anything to keep kissing him there in his tiny cargo bay.  
  
He kissed her gently, his lips soft and coaxing on hers. He knew exactly how she felt. Before they could get too carried away, she pulled back.  
  
“Where to next?”  
  
It took a moment for him to remember their pretense of the shuttle tour. “Cockpit,” he finally grinned.  
  
“Sounds promising,” she murmured. She gestured for him to lead the way, and he took her hand.  
  
The shuttle was small, designed for a single occupant, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t put the space to good use. They tested the durability of his pilot’s chair, and Reyes knew that the memories of that particular encounter would plague him every time he flew.  
  
After that, there was only one place left to show her; the microscopic room that served as his cabin. For months that room had been his home, the only place he could call his own. Sharing it with her almost felt as revealing as admitting he was the Charlatan.  
  
“This is my bunk,” he said lamely, gesturing to the small mattress nestled in a nook in the wall.  
  
Sara peered around the room, her face calm and pensive. It seemed she recognized how vulnerable he felt, because she didn’t tease him as she stepped closer to the bed. Her eyes caught on the small, recessed shelf where his only mementos rested. She reached out and ran a tentative finger across the string of worn beads that lay coiled there. “What’s this?”  
  
Reyes had to clear his throat to get his voice to work. “My abuela’s rosary,” he said. His voice sounded frail in his own ears. He wanted to look away, to leave the room and hide. But Sara was here, touching his things with such obvious reverence that it nailed him to the spot.  
  
She glanced back at him and her face softened. She stepped into him, a hand reaching up to cup his cheek. “You don’t have to tell me,” she said.  
  
He nodded and dropped his gaze to the floor. He let out a harsh, shaking breath. Another time. He could tell her about his abuela shoving the rosary into his hand as she pushed him into her room with his brothers. He could tell her the last words the woman had ever said to him, “Pray, Reyito.” Someday he could tell her how, after that day, he had sworn never to bow his head again, but that he still couldn’t bring himself to part with that rosary.  
  
Another time.  
  
Gentle fingers brought his gaze back to her. This woman that continuously amazed him with her patience and understanding. “I’m sorry, Reyes,” she said.  
  
He shook his head. “I brought you here. I wanted this.” He pulled another steadying breath through his nose. “I didn’t realize it would still be so difficult to talk about.”  
  
She kissed him with soft, reassuring lips. All thoughts of talk vanished as she pulled him down onto the bunk with her. Where all their previous romps had been wild or playful, the tone between them now was serious and so very fragile.  
  
She unzipped his jacket with steady fingers, so sure of what she wanted. So sure of him. She helped him out of the coat, and pulled his shirt over his head. He’d spent most of the past twenty-four hours naked, but he had never felt more exposed to her than he did then.  
  
Sara pressed tender kisses to his chest, taking her time as she lavished affection upon his skin. Her hands unfastened the button of his pants and she helped him out of those too. Finally he moved to remove her pants, hoping she wouldn’t notice the tremor in his hands. He fumbled with the button for a moment, and he’d never felt more self-conscious in front of her.  
  
She didn’t say a word, but raised her hips when he finally succeeded, allowing him to pull the pants down her legs and onto the floor. She tugged her shirt off, tossing it aside, and settled back into the mattress.  
  
Reyes nestled between her hips, suddenly breathless with awe. She looked up at him, guileless as ever. There was no mischief in her gaze, for once no teasing tilt to her lips. Only tender warmth and understanding looked back at him from the blue depths of her soul.  
  
He brushed strands of sandy brown hair back from her face with trembling hands. “Sara,” he said, and he couldn’t hide the quaver in his voice. “I-”  
  
She smiled up at him. “I know, Reyes.”  
  
Did she, though? And even if she did, didn’t she deserve to hear it?  
  
But even then he was a coward, skirting around what he really needed to say. “I’ve never brought anyone here before.” It was the truth, even if it wasn’t the truth that threatened to burst from his chest. Her eyes crinkled at the edges as her smile grew. She knew. She’d offered him an out and he’d taken it. And for some crazy reason, that was okay. At least for now. It was enough for them both that he’d finally admitted it to himself, weeks after her near death at the Archon’s hands had nearly destroyed him.  
  
He loved her.  
  
Sara removed her bra, dropping it to the floor. With somewhat steadier hands he pulled her underwear down her legs, and then removed his own. As he settled back into his place between her thighs the air in the tiny alcove felt electrified. There were so many emotions flickering between them; desire, appreciation, love. His own sudden realization that he craved her understanding, her patience, needed it just as much as his body needed hers.  
  
Maybe even more.  
  
It all added so much more weight, more meaning to his every action. He wouldn’t just lavish her with attention. He could no longer settle to merely share physical pleasure with her. No, right then he absolutely must convey how she made him feel. How she had awakened something within him that he had never experienced before, not in the Milky Way, not with any other lover.  
  
That need to make her see, to make her understand was, for once, beyond his ability to speak. There were no words for the way his pulse raced in his veins at the very sight of her. No words existed that could adequately show how waking up with her in his arms made him feel whole for the first time in his life. But maybe, just maybe, his body could do what his words could not.  
  
There in that tiny bunk he endeavored to make her feel the way she made him feel all the time, just by looking at him. It was slow, deliberate work. Every pulse and thrust was an offering at the altar of her body, every time her name fell from his lips it was a prayer. The chant of Spanish that poured from him, words that she couldn’t understand but could feel, was his litany.  
  
He had no faith, no God, but this woman had become his religion. His Santa Sarita. Why she had deigned to fall from grace to give her love to him, he would never understand. But, he would devote the rest of his life to make sure it wasn’t in vain.  The Fall of Santa Sarita, his salvation.  
  
At some point in his worship their pace had increased. Like coming back to reality after a dose of Oblivion, his senses sharpened until he had no capacity to hear anything beyond her cries. He could feel nothing but the velvety pulse of her body as she clung to him. His tongue had no other purpose but to taste the sweet salt of her skin. Sara arched against him, and the press of her body at the peak of her climax took him with her.  
  
He stayed above her, his weight on shaking forearms, while she quivered beneath him. He pressed reverent lips to the hot skin of her neck and face. He watched as she returned from the precipice, her face flushed from his efforts, and committed the perfection of that moment to his memory. Finally her blue eyes focused, and it was as if she saw him clearly for the very first time. She kissed him gently, her mouth appreciative but tired. He rested his forehead to hers, and she let out a satisfied sigh.  
  
“I love you, too,” she whispered.  
  
Reyes shut his eyes and smiled, content for now that he had done what he could. She wouldn’t leave his shuttle unsure. There could be no room for doubt, no anxious replaying of their interactions over the weeks to come. No, they would both look back and share this memory, in his tiny shuttle bunk, confident that they were loved.  
It was enough, for now.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Thanks for reading! This is my first fic on AO3, but I'm also HIMluv over at FF.net if you like to read stories there. I'm a huge Reyes fangirl, and have been reading a ton of the stuff posted here. I finally had to write my own, intending it to be a oneshot. That grew into four chapters, and became a series. So, yeah. Keep an eye out for more! And please, please let me know what you think!


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